Project Director, DISC country Lead

Position Title: Project Director, DISC Country Lead

Department: SRH

Reporting To: Country Representative with a dotted line to the DISC Country Operations Technical Advisor and SRH Director

Required Number of position – One

Direct Reports: Advisor, QA & Training and Program Coordinator

Duty Station: Head Office/Addis Ababa

Remuneration: As per the organization pay scale

Application Deadline: July 9, 2025.

Who we are?

PSI is a network of locally rooted, globally connected organizations working to achieve consumer-powered healthcare — people-centered health systems that ensure quality, affordable care wherever and whenever it is needed. Our origins in sexual and reproductive health have grown into a broader mission. Today, we work with the public and private sectors as well as local communities, prioritizing people’s voice and choice and developing solutions to meet their essential health needs. Over the past five decades, we have helped push boundaries, break taboos, set trends, and develop innovative solutions to complex global health challenges.

 

Join us!

Do you want to join PSI to help make it easier for all people to lead healthier lives and plan the families they desire? Read on!

PSI Ethiopia is embarking on a new innovative project in Ethiopia called Delivering Innovations in Self-Care. This project will support the FMOH to introduce DMPA-SC for Self-Injection (SI) as a part of the method mix in Ethiopia. PSI Ethiopia’s support to the MOH for the simultaneous introduction and rollout of DMPA-SC PA and SI will build on the lessons learned, best practices, and materials already developed through PSI’s global flagship program, (DISC)Delivering Innovations in Self-Care. At the user level, a communications ecosystem will be created to support women across their self-injection journey. At the community level, word of mouth and support structures will be created through experienced users and communities. At the provider level, a focus on mindset shifts will improve the support providers give women for self-care.

PSI seeks a Project Director/Country lead that will be responsible for leading successful project implementation throughout the project lifecycle from start-up to close-out. Accountable for delivery of all aspects of the projects, including technical implementation, financial and administrative compliance and oversight and supervision of project staff. Oversee project team to ensure that country level implementation is provided with a high standard of excellence, achieving its set goals and targets and within budget. Provide high level technical thought leadership and has the managerial capacity to strategically manage risk, monitor finances and ensure each phase of work is started or completed on time. Responsible for using evidence to improve project design and implementation. As the leader of DISC, liaise with national stakeholders, such as Ministry of Health officials. Primary point of contact for the project donor and assures the strategic alignment of the project with PSI Global Strategy.

Sounds like you? Read on!

Key responsibilities

• Program Leadership & Management, including financial oversight, compliance, and management of a consortium of partners.
  • Develop and implement the DISC Ethiopia strategy, ensuring alignment with national policies and global self-care frameworks.
  • Lead program planning, execution, and performance monitoring to achieve project objectives.
  • Ensure effective coordination between the national and regional project teams, partners, and stakeholders.
  • Provide technical and strategic guidance to strengthen self-care interventions, particularly DMPA-SC SI.
  • Lead program planning, implementation, and performance monitoring to achieve project objectives.
  • Ensure effective coordination between the national and regional project teams, partners, and stakeholders.
  • Promote cross-learning and adaptive management, ensuring that emerging insights inform program design.
  • Oversee the project budget, ensuring compliance with donor and PSI financial regulations.
  • Track budget utilization, ensuring effective resource allocation and spending alignment with project priorities.
  • Lead risk assessments and update the risk register, implementing mitigation strategies where needed.
  • Ensure timely submission and review of partner financial reports, invoices, and expenditure forecasts.

People Management

• Thought Leadership / Knowledge Management and Technical Leadership on the project (unless the project has a Technical Director).
  • Ensure robust data systems are in place for tracking program performance against key indicators.
  • Collaborate with partners to validate, analyze, and utilize data for decision-making and program adaptation.
  • Lead after-action reviews, routine data-driven check-ins, and pause-and-reflect sessions to foster continuous learning.
  • Oversee the maintenance of the adaptation tracker, documenting program refinements and best practices.
  • Facilitate cross-learning across partners and/or countries to share best practices and learn potential solutions to try for challenges arising from implementation.
  • Develop and implement a capacity-building strategy for healthcare providers, partners, and program staff.
  • Facilitate training sessions and knowledge-sharing initiatives on self-care, quality service delivery, and SBC approaches.
  • Develop and disseminate learning products, case studies, and best practices to contribute to the global self-care knowledge base.

External Representation.

• • Foster strong relationships with Ethiopian MOH, Regional Health Bureaus, donors, and implementing partners.
  • Collaborating with strategic partners like the Self Care Trailblazers Group (SCTG) and/or Access Collaborative to agree on roles and responsibilities to advance the key advocacy priorities.
  • Represent PSI and DISC Ethiopia Project at technical working groups, national and international forums, and high-level stakeholder meetings.
  • Advocate for the integration of self-care and DMPA-SC SI into Ethiopia’s health system, leveraging policy dialogues and strategic engagements.
  • Identify and cultivate key champions to advance self-care initiatives in national policies and strategies.

Internal Representation and coordination.

• • Adherence to Quality Assurance and Technical Support programmatic, Clinical and Data quality standards.
  • Ensure the integration of clinical and programmatic best practices into the rollout of DMPA-SC SI.
  • Oversee the development and rollout of training materials for partners, trainers, healthcare providers, and Health Extension Workers.
  • Support development and plans for post-training mentorship, supervision, and competency assessments to reinforce provider skills.
  • Ensure empathy-based counseling and voluntary, client-centered service delivery are mainstreamed across all interventions.
  • Ensure quality assurance and monitoring frameworks are in place to uphold high standards in self-injection, contraceptive counseling, and data collection.

Fundraising (with non-project funds).

• • Serve as the primary point of contact for global DISC partners and donors.
  • Contribute to fundraising and business development efforts, identifying opportunities for the broader Platform expansion
  • Support the development of concept notes and proposals to secure additional funding.

Donor Liaison.

• • Work with Ethiopian MOH and partners to track DMPA-SC stock levels at national and sub-national levels.
  • Participate in quantification and forecasting exercises to prevent stockouts and overstocking.
  • Advocate for improved logistics management and data use in contraceptive supply planning.

Embody PSI’s values: Measurement, Pragmatism, Honesty, Trust, Collaboration, and Commitment.

10-25% international travel

This is not an exhaustive list of all tasks that an incumbent is expected to perform but is instead a summary of the primary responsibilities and requirements of the job. The incumbent may be asked to perform duties not included above. PSI reserves the right to revise job profiles at any time based on changes to the required job responsibilities

Qualification and Experience:

• Master’s Degree (or international equivalent) MSc, MPH, MBA, MHA, MPA or equivalent.
• At least 10 years related work experience in public health or related field. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted.
• At least 5 years supervisory experience including at least 5 years in self-care, family planning, or health systems strengthening.
• At least 7 years program management for global health projects in low or middle-income countries (LMICs) preferred.
• At least 5 years in the relevant technical field of the project preferred.
• At least 3 years living and working in LMICs preferred.
• Proven success in management of complex operations, under specific donor awards and procedures, in a challenging, developing country environment.
• Ability to manage agreements and all required programmatic and financial reporting requirements, including sub-grants management.
• Ability to monitor and assess performance of self, other individuals, and / or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking and planning skills, with emphasis on the ability to operationalize and oversee the execution of workplans.
• Strong leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to collaborate and work across teams and roles. Ability to persuade and motivate people and teams.
• Experience developing capacity of government entities, staff, and other organizations.
• Demonstrated experience in managing government and donor relations.
• Ability to work effectively and sensitively in a cross cultural context.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent diplomatic skills and proven ability to work effectively with government officials, partners, donors, and stakeholders at high levels.

We know that a long list of requirements may be discouraging, but don’t let imposter syndrome or the confidence gap get in the way of you applying — we’d love to hear from you